Osborne Clarke France strengthens its commercial law practice with the arrival of François-Xavier Awatar as a partner

Osborne Clarke in France continues to grow its commercial law practice with the arrival of François-Xavier Awatar, who will work alongside Alexandre Glatz. The team now comprises two partners and twelve associates.

With over 15 years’ experience at leading commercial law firms, François-Xavier Awatar has developed one of the market’s most recognised practices in franchise law, distribution law, competition law and, more broadly, commercial law.

For many years, he has advised major French and international groups, distribution networks, retail chains, investors and investment funds on their development, external growth and transformation projects, both in France and internationally. His practice is characterised by a solid grounding in the French economic landscape, combined with a particularly active international presence.

He provides both advisory and litigation services across the full spectrum of economic law issues: commercial contracts, distribution networks (franchising, selective distribution, cooperatives, concessions and networks of intermediaries), anti-competitive practices (abuse of a dominant position, cartels and economic dependence), merger control, claims for damages and strategic litigation.

He is heavily involved in mergers and acquisitions and private equity transactions, and regularly assists Corporate / M&A teams and investors with audits of commercial contracts, distribution networks, competitive and regulatory risks, as well as with issues relating to market concentration and organisation of networks.

As cross-selling is at the heart of Osborne Clarke’s approach, François-Xavier will be able to develop numerous synergies with the corporate/M&A, real estate, IP/IT, employment, healthcare and litigation teams, both in France and within the firm’s international network.

By joining Osborne Clarke, he is choosing to be part of a highly entrepreneurial team, driven by a culture of innovation, development and cross-expertise collaboration.

He comments: 

“Osborne Clarke is a magnificent firm with nearly 300 years of global history, and has strong ambitions both in France and internationally. I was impressed by the quality of its international network, its entrepreneurial spirit and its ability to bring the firm’s various areas of expertise together to benefit clients.
The close collaboration between the Corporate/M&A, Litigation and Commercial Law teams provides a powerful lever for supporting businesses, investors and networks in their most strategic development projects. I have also paid close attention to the personal qualities of the teams, and I am convinced that the firm will offer my clients and colleagues an environment particularly conducive to the success of their most ambitious projects.”

Alexandre Glatz, partner, says: 

“François-Xavier and I very quickly found common ground on shared values regarding development and on a personal level. We have similar practices, with complementary technical perspectives, particularly in distribution law, but also in competition law and restrictive practices. Together, we offer a comprehensive range of services in commercial law and the regulation of foreign investment.”

Catherine Olive and Maxime Pigeon, Co-Managing Partners, add: 

“The arrival of François-Xavier and his team is fully in line with our ambitious yet measured growth plan. We bring together lawyers who are entrepreneurs, and we firmly believe that business synergies, technical excellence and the desire to move forward together form the foundation of our performance. We have found the same vision and convictions in François-Xavier. His arrival, alongside an already strong and well-regarded team, represents a tremendous opportunity both in France and internationally.”

With the arrival of François-Xavier Awatar, Osborne Clarke in France welcomes its twentieth partner.